The Demaine Dye

"Teil," tlí8 girl pleaded coaxingly, with her soft cbeek against his. "Ask me anything but .that and I Will graut it, " answered her lover. "That is a matter wbich concerns my honor, aud so not even for you eau I' ' - "Oh," she interrupted pettishly. "I am sick of hearing that cant about your honor. You ouly promised your father, and I am sure i f he had known me he would have told rue, but you - you are as hard as adamant. You cau't care' for me properly, or yon would do what I ask you - the very first thing I have ever asked you," she ended pettishly. Alan Deiuaine smiled at the pretty exhibition of childisb wrath. Then he said gravely, yet firmly : "It is uo use, Elsie. You are causing both yourself and me ueedless pain by constantly teasiug me on this matter. Once and for all I oannot teil you, so uow let us talk of something pleasant. What is the last new gown like?'1 he ended, smiling lovingly down at her. The girl looked at him, a curious glance, half menace, half malice, then, veiling her eyes, drooping before his ardent glance, she allowed herself to be coaxed, flattered and petted into a seemingly forgetful mood. "I wonder why the little witch is so eager to know the secret - a trade secret too?" thought Demaine to himself that night as he smoked a quiet cigar. "A childish whim, I suppose, or woman's curiosity. " And, so thinking, he dismissed the subject from his mind. But he would not have dismissed it quite so easily if he could have looked into a distant chamber in another part of the house and seen a little fury excitedly pacing the floor and murmuring to herself: "I will get to know it yet, whether by fair means or foul it matters little, but I will get it, and then" - "I must be off to the works at once, " Alan said next morning to his rnother and sisters. "Teil Elsie, when she comes down, that I am awfully sorry not to be able to take her for a drive, as we arranged yesterday, but something unexpected has turned up, and I am compelled to attend to it. No eye like the master's - eh, mother?" he finisbed laughingly. Mrs. Demaine looked fondly at her sou. "You are just like your father," she said proudly. "It was aye duty before pleasure with hira, but I'll teil the lassie, Alan, and maybe you '11 be home by dinner time. " "I can't say, mother," be answered cheerily; "only wait for me." And then they heard the hall door close and knew he was off. The day wcre away. Elsie declined Enid Demaine's offer to drive her in place of Alan and went off for a long walk by herself. Enid and Cicely looked curionsly after her as she walked down the drive, and then Cicely said half dreamily. "I do think there is something odd about Elsie. I wish Alan had not fallen in love with her. Do you know," lowering her voice to an awestricken whisper, "I'm afraid she is not trustworthy. " When Alan carne home that evening, he seeined in uproariously good spirits. He laughed and chatted and joked and teased until his mother declared that he was"fey. " After dinner he invited Elsie out on to the terrace, to "see the moonlight, " he declared ruendaciously. Very fair and sweet the girl looked in her pretty white gown of sorae shirumering material, and so her lover evidently thought, for he suddenly canght her to his breast and rained passionate kisses on her brow and lips. Then, just as suddenly, he thrust her from him and stood facing her in the moonlight. The girl was half frightenedat hisrnanner. "What is the matter, Alan?" she asked timidly. "Nothing, my pet, "he replied in his old manner; "only you looked so beI witching I think I lost my senses. " "I think youdid, "sbe retorted coquettishly. "Alan," she continued earnestly, "do you really and truly love me?" He looked at her curiously, then, recollecting himself, replied: "What a foolish question to ask! How inany hundreds of times have I told you the old, old story?" "But, " she persisted, raising her face to his, "I never, never can believe it until you teil me that secret." His face darkened at her words. "Did I not teil you last night that your persistency was worse than useless?" he retorted, looking coldly down at her. "Well, then, " she answered passionately, "tintil you do teil me I will never rnarry yon - never!" There was a loug silence between them. Finally the man broke it. "Do you mean what you say?" he asked in a low, tense voice. "Certainly," she responded iu a hard, determined tone. Then, changing her marmer to one of winning sweetness: "But I know you will teil me. Ycu could uever, never be so crnel as to refuse. " He ttmjed away aud began pacing the lawn in au undecided, wavering fashion, quite unlike bis usual firrn step. ïbe girl followed him and laid 011e hand on his aria. "Teil me," sbe wbispered beseechmgly. Tben she raised herself ou tiptoe and kissed him. "Icannot resist, "he mumrared, then stooped suddenly and whispered something into her ear. "Is tbat all?" sbe asked, in evident surprise. He nodded. The next afternoon Elsie refnsed all offers of companionship and went off for a solitary stroll. As she approached a little wooded copse about half a mile from the house a young man sauntered slowly toward her. "Wel!, what success this time?" he demanded, without troubling to make any preliiniuary greetiug. "Wait a rumnte, Hugh," the girl answered. "I am quite breathless with hurryiug. That tiresome Enid wanted to come with me. And I wasn't at all sure of Alau not coming too. " The man stood for a minute or two in silence, then glauced at his compaiiion impatiently. "I have got it, " she answered quietly, returuing bis glance. His whole face changed and glowed with triumph. "You little darling, you clever little darling," be exclaimed, and then took her in his arms aud kissed her passionately. She lay' quite passive in his embrace, her dark eyes gleaming with tenderest love. "Nowwe can marry," he whispered. "Bnt you have not told me yet, Elsie. Are you sure you have got the exact details?" "It is all written bere, word for word, as Alan repeated it to me," she replied. He read the paper greedily which she handed to bim, then placed it in his pocketbook and drew a deep breath of relief. "So that is all the secret of Demame's wouderful purple dye, " he said. "Well, I ratber think now that the monopoly is destroyed. Won't the old fashioned firm be astonished when they find tbemselves undersold in the Biarket by a dye exactly like their own. " And he laughed a cruel laugh of triumph. "I always hated Demaine," he continued, "always. Thiswill besplendid revenge, besides making all our fortunes. But come, Elsie," be added, "it is time we were moving. I'llsee you to the park gates, and then I must get back to town. " A month passed away, and Elsie was still visiting the Demaines, still outwardly engaged to Alan, of whom nevertheless she saw very little. "Hugh," Elsie said to her lover one evening, "don't you think" - and then she stopped in confusión. "Think what?" said Hughidly, without looking at her. "Thafc it is not very nice or pleasant for me to be staying in Alan 's home, wbenl have - betrayedhim?" sheended bravely. "I don't see what else yon can do," retorted Hugh lazily, "unlesa you go back to your aunt's. " The girl crimsoned to her brow. "Conldn't we be married now?" she whispered in sharned tones. He lookedathersharply, then replied: "Look here, Elsie, it is best to be straightforward, so we may as well end this farce at once. I arn engaged to my consin Marian, and we are to be married next month. " Tbere was a long silence. CJp in the bright blue heavens a bird was caroling merrily, and in a strange, rnechanical mauner Elsie counted five daisies which were in a cluster at her feet. Then she spoke: "So you just used me as a tooi, Hugh?" "Yes," he aequiesced shamefacedly. She laughed - a strange, hard laugh. "It does not hurt very much after all - not very much," she repeated piteously, and then without another word turned and left him. When Alan Demaine reached home that night, his mother and sisters met him with the nèws that Elsie had been suddenly summoned to meet her aunt. "Though when sbe got the letter I'm Bure I don't know, " added Enid suspiciously. Her brother made noreply, but went straight to his own room, and there, on the toilet table, lay a tear stained note. "I have been a wicked, deceitful girl," the letter ran, "and now the greatest punishment I have to bear is the knowledge that I have brought ruin npon you." Then followed au explanation concerning her curiosity about the dye, and the note ended with a plea for forgiveness. In reply Alan wrote as follows: "My forgiveness you have fully and freely, and I sincerely wish you every happiness in the future. You must not distress yourself about 'ruining me,' as the 'secret' (?) which I told you concerniug the purple dye is no secret at all, but a very ordinary chemical preparation well known in the trade. Forgive me for deceiving you. I overheard your conversation with the scamp who nsed you as his tooi, and I could not reBist my little piece of revenge. The Demaine dye is a secret still, so you may cease fretting about that. My mother, who knowsnothing, sendsyou her love. In a day or two I shall simply teil her that the engagement is dissolved." Three montbs after the dispatch of this letter Alan's manager ceased from fcroubling, tor the new firm failed irretrievably. "Hang it all!" said Hugh to his conBdential assistant. "We have got the correct ingredients, man. It must be in the nrixing that we fail. " And when his speech found its way to Alan's ears he simply laugbed. "It was Delilah wbo failed," he said to himself, "not the rnixing. " And then, with a new, glfui hope springing in his heart, he joined bis sisters and his sisters' friend Monica in the drawina